Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has highlighted the need to expedite the process of filling up vacant posts in the State Police Complaints Authority (SPCA), established to act as a quasi-judicial body to oversee the functioning of the police authorities in the state and hear citizens’ grievances against the functioning of the police authorities. It was established pursuant to the Supreme Court judgement in 2014 on police reforms. The court noted that it was important to fill up the vacancies otherwise its functioning will be hampered.
The court has also noted that it is also important to give publicity to the existence of SPCA and has asked the government to file an affidavit giving details of steps being taken by all the state police stations to spread awareness.
Details On The Arguments During Hearing
A division bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Arif Doctor was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) by activist Medha Patkar and a law student Jinay Jain. State advocate PP Kakade informed the court they are in the process of reconsidering the policy in respect of the procedure to outsource the staff for filling up the vacancies in the staff at the state and divisional levels.
Advocate Yashodeep Deshmukh, appearing for the petitioners, said that because of the court orders, the SPCA was given some publicity. However, he said that the state has not clarified whether boards have been put up at all the police stations informing citizens about the SPCA.
The bench has asked the government to “collect necessary information from all the police stations as to what steps have been taken at the end of the police stations to give publicity to the functions of the authority”.
The government informed the court that they have advertised in newspapers to publicise the SPCA. Besides, the Director General of Police was instructed to give wide publicity to the functions of the authority in every police station. The HC has kept the matter for further hearing on January 3.
